Officials reflect on progress in downtown Waynesboro

Officials and volunteers have spent countless hours on downtown revitalization.

Denise Bonura/The Record Herald

Pat Fleagle and Craig Newcomer, who have devoted their time to the revitalization of downtown Waynesboro, are ending their tenures at the close of 2013.

Fleagle, director of economic development for Mainstreet Waynesboro Inc., and Newcomer, a Waynesboro councilman, are pleased with the positive direction downtown Waynesboro is headed.“The reason I ran for council eight years ago was because of the downtown,” Newcomer, chair of council’s downtown revitalization committee, said. “That was my whole drive. I made a commitment to downtown and to Mainstreet Inc. and I’m happy. As a council, we have been advocates for Mainstreet. It’s hard for a borough to do it all by itself, and Mainstreet is the tool council needed.”

Fleagle said as he prepares to retire at the end of the year he is “hoping to leave a viable community that is set to blossom,” for his replacement, Scott Hershberger.

Accomplishments

Newcomer and council were instrumental in working with the late Sen. Terry Punt to secure funding to add brick sidewalks along Main Street through the downtown core.

Newcomer also worked with council on the grueling stormwater management upgrades through town that are finally under way, and also helped with improving visibility to reduce the number of pedestrian accidents in town.

“I’m very pleased at the progress from eight years ago to today,” Newcomer, who is not running for re-election, said. “We’ve worked together with Mainstreet and other entities to get things done. I can walk away happy as I look at downtown eight years ago and look at it today.”

Moving forward

Though several businesses have closed on Main Street over the years — the most recent being Celebrity Deli on East Main Street — Fleagle said he sees “definite positive movement in several areas that are critical to downtown revitalization.”

One area is the renovation of Main Street rental properties, and the opening of the Leland of Laurel Run on West Main Street, which bring foot traffic to downtown eateries and specialty shops. He said there is a potential for a number of businesses opening in Waynesboro in the near future, and stressed that the downtown needs unique eateries that will not try to compete with social clubs that offer cheap dining options to members. He mentioned Sapporo, the new Japanese restaurant that recently opened in Center Square.

Fleagle said the key to bringing businesses that will thrive is to attract entrepreneurs to the area who have a flare for the business.

Fleagle feels another asset is making the entire downtown a destination area for travelers, and added the forming of the Arts Alliance of Greater Waynesboro is a positive move that will draw more people to the area to add to the destination effect.

“We want to bring businesses to town that have the possibility to thrive,” Fleagle added. “We don’t want to just fill a void. Many people pine after the Main Street from the ‘40s, but that’s never going to happen. We need to bring entrepreneurs to town who know that the old way of doing business these days isn’t going to cut it.”

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